Refrigerator car



Oct. 7, 1941.

Filed April 14, 1939 w. E. BAILLIE REFRIGERATOR CAR 2 Sheets-Sheet l oct. l7, 1941.

W. E. BAILLIE REFRIGERATOR CAR 2 Sheets-Sheet, 2

Filed April 14, 1939 Patented Oct. 7, 1941 NT Vottici;

REFRIGERATOR CAR Wallace E.V Baillie, McDollald,` Pa., assigner to :Standard Railway Devices Qompanygacorpora.-

tion of Delaware Application l Aprii 14, 1939, .serial No. 267.786

' As claims. wirst- 17) The invention relatesto refrigerator carsiused to transport perishable `commodities `at aiptedetermined temperature. The essential `features of arefrigerator car are an insulated house-like structure and a refrigerating means when 'used in summer or ya heating means when used inwn-i` ter. l. "S'I'his invention relates particularly to irefrigerator cars of the `overhealiiA bunker type. `Cars oi' this typehaye ice bunkers or refrigerant ,containers suspended immediately below` the `roof and 4the lading supported .on arack which rests on the `fioorso as to `provide a space betweenthe floor and the lading. Enclosing :structures are usually provided for the refrigerant containers and fiues are associated with the walls of` the car, which flues communicate Lbetween the enclosing structures for the refrigerant containers and" the space under the floor rack. Then air, upon being cooled by the refrigerant, flows 4down-v wardly through the side -walllflue to the space under the floor rack and is distributed to the ladingby the rack which is foramnous for this purpose. The air absorbs heat from the lading and returns to the refrigerant containers through openings in the enclosing structures at a higher elevation than the cold `air openings leading" to the side wallifiues. The sidewall flues are also used to conduct melted refrigerant or condensation to the lower part of the car from` where it maybe drained om I An object vof the inventionis to provide additionalinsulation for the walls of the carf Refrigerator car walls are `usually insulated with blankets or Vpanels of a material having high re sistance to the flow of heat therethrough, such as hair, kapok or spun glass. fDead air spaces are `also often provided `withinthe.-walls. I provide a system of air circulationsubstantially enclosed within the wall,` the circulating airtb'eng cooled preferably by a portion of` the refrigerant containers normally used to` refrigerate the car.

ilues. The air reaching the lading compartment is therefore considerably warmer `tharrwhen. it lefgt the refrigerant chamber. To retard ow of heatvf'rom outside thecar to the wall flue,fI provide a secondary system for circulation of re-1 frigerated `air between the exterior sheathing of There is thus provideda continuously renewed blanket -of cold air within-the wall.

Another object is to provide means tcinsure delivery of very cold air to the lading compartment of the car. The temperature of` the trefrigerant inthe container is 4approximately 32` degrees when water ice is used, `zero when a con centrated solutionof brine is used, and much lower when dry ice is used. v(irculating air com-` ing into contact with the .refrigerant `container is cooled to within a few degrees of the-refrigerant temperature, but the 4temperaturetof the air is increased during now .through the. wail 551' the car and the ue through which air circulates to the lading compartment. Heat which Would normally-warm air'within the flue is thus intercepted by said secondaryisystem.

A 4further object of theinventioni is to provide means for the absorption of moisture from the wall insulation. In the above-mentioned secondary system of air circulation, the yair comes into contact with the insulation and `absorbs moisture therefrom. When the air comes into contact withthe relatively cold refrigerant container, the temperature of `the air is lowered below the dew point,` thus condensing some of the moisture and permitting additional absorption of moisture during the next cycle. i

Another iobject is to provide means to utilize a `"portion of the Ycontainer often not normally used' Cars are :frequently designed so that the refrigerating air passes yunder the container ,i thus leaving some ofthe `walls Vof the container 'out `of contact with circulating air. I provi-de means by which said walls maybe used 'to cool the air for the above-.mentionedsecondary system of circulation and thus further insulate the walls of the car.

Other `objectsand advantages of my invention will 'be :apparent from the followingldetailed description taken in reference to the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a partial transverse section of a re-l frigeratoricar '.embodying my invention. The section is on line l-I of Fig. .3 and shows the path lofthe primary air circulation.

` Fig. 21is aview similar to Fig. l but on line .f spective view of the device shownin Figs. 1 to 3. Fig. 5` is a4 section similar to Figa 1 and 2` showing a modified system of `air circulation. The section is on line 5--54 of Fig. 6. i

Fig. `6 is a sectionlon line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 'l is a fragmentary and broken away perspective view of the device shown in I Figs. 5 and 6.

The drawings Vshow a refrigerator car having aninsulated roof '2,- floor '3, and sidewall 4. A refrigerant containeryi is provided below the roof.

Means not shown are also proto the lading space I0.

vided for the return of air from the lading rcoml partment l to the duct 9.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 4, the wall 4 comprises an outer sheathing 20, an inner lining 2 I, a sheet 22 having inwardly (23) and outwardly (24) disposed portions connected by Webs 25, inner (26) andfouter(21) plate-like members and insulation 28. AThe spaces between the outwardly disposed portions 24 of the sheet 22 and the liningl2l form yflues 29 to conduct refrigerated air fromthe vduct 9 to the space 1.V The arrows 30 in YFig-s. 1 and 4 indicate the path followed by vthe refrigerating air.

The spaces exterior of the inwardly disposed portions 23 of the sheet 22A form ducts 35 for the secondary circulatory system, the plates 36 preferably being provided to prevent the insulation 28 from entering the ducts 35. The members 26, l21 are spaced apart a shortdistance to provide a passage 38 rfor the return of air to the upper part of the car. The air adjacent .the wall 4,0 of the container is cooled by the refrigerant and falls due to its greater density through the ducts 35 while the air in the passage 38 is warmed by heat flowing from the exterior of the car. A secondary circulation is thus established downwardly through the ducts 35 and upwardlyv through the passage A38 as `shown by the arrows.

4l in Figs. 2 and 4.

The passage 38 is substantially continuous .longitudinally of the car and is positioned relatively remote from the flues`29 vso that heat flowing through the wall 4 from exterior of the car is intercepted by the air flowing through the passage 38 and is therefore prevented from reaching the flues 29. The heat thus intercepted is absorbed by the refrigerant when the air in the passage 38 reaches the-wall 40 of the 'refrigerant container 5. The upper (44) and lower (45), head,- ers extend continuously the length of the car to permit air from the continuous passage 38l to converge into the spaced apart ducts 35 and to permit air emerging from said ducts to spread into the passage 38. l L

The members 26, 21 are preferably made from a relatively rigid, porous insulating rnaterialysuch` as Celotex. The air ascending the passage 38 will therefore tend to absorb a quantity of moisture from the insulation 28 on either side of the passage 38. When the air comes in contact with the cold wall 40 of the container 5, aportionpf the moisture is condensed and flows through the opening 41 between the sheet 22 and the wall 40. The-moisture thusV condensed may be disposed of in the'manner provided for the disposition of condensate from thecontainer 5, i'. e., through the flues 29 to the gutter 48 and thencethrough a drain not shown in the drawings.

vFigs. 5 to 7show a modified form of'rnyv invention wherein the wall 4 of the refrigerator 'car comprises an outer sheathing 2U, an inner lining 2l, a plate 60 formed with vertically disposedcorf-` rugations, inner (6 l) l. and outer (62) .plate-like.

members positioned adjacent the plate and insulation 63 between the sheathing 20 and the outer member 62. A waterproof metallic lining 65 is disposed on the inner surface of the inner member 6I. A ue 66 is thus provided between the lining 2| and the metallic lining 65 which serves to conduct refrigerated air from the duct 9 to thespace 1.. As shownin Fig. 6, the flue 66 is,I substantially; continuous Vlongitudinally of the car. The arrows 68 in Figs. 5 and '1 show the path of the refrigerated air through the flue 66 The Ispaces between the outwardly projecting corrugationsof the plate 6|) and the inner member V6`I1form .aplurality of ducts 1| while the spacesbetween the inwardly projecting corrugations and the outer member 62 constitute a plulralitylof passages`12. Continuously extending upper (14)/and lower (15) headers provide communication between the ducts 1l and passages 12 at both the tops and bottoms thereof. The upper .header 14 is positioned adjacent the wall 40 ofthe refrigerant 'container 5 so that the air in the upper header 14, being cooled andv therefore densiiieclV by Contact with the wall 40, falls through the ducts 1I. Simultaneously, the air in the passages 12 is warmed and rariiied by the heat flowing throughthe wall 4. A secondary circulatory.- system' is thus established, the air flowing upwardly through the passages `12 absorbing'the heat fromthe-wall' 4, and the refrigerant adjacent the wall 40 in turn absorbing the heat. As. shown iniA Fig. 6, the plurality of passages 12 form asubstantialcontinuous insulating blanket between the ilueii` and the exterior of the car. The arrows 11,1 in Figs. 5 and '7 show the path of the'secondarycirculatory system. y

:An opening .between the metallic lining 65. and the'wall 40 ofthe container 5 is provided for the drainage of condensed moisture as heretofore described with reference to Figs. 1 to 4. I have illustrated and described two methods of providing'a secondary circulatory system within the walls of a refrigerator car. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact Vdetails of ,construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications, thereof, within the scope ofthe claims, will occur4 to persons skilled in the art.

l. In a refrigerator having a wall and a iiue associated with said wall for distributing refrigeratedvair to the lading space of the refrigerator, a system for circulation of refrigerated air disposed entirely A,within saidwall interposed between said flue andthe exterior of said wall comprising a duct adjacent said iiue for downward flow of refrigerated air and a return air passage and communicating with said duct at the top and bottom thereof, and means to refrigerate the air entering said duct.

V.9... Ina refrigerator having a refrigerant chamber near the roof' and adjacent one of the walls,

a container ingsaid-chamber, a vertically dis-- posed flue associated withsaid wall and a rack exterior `of said A1iue,-said system comprising a duct for'downward flow ofv refrigerated air, a ref;

turn air passage communicating with said duct at the top and bottom thereof, and means to refrigerate the air entering said duct, said means comprising a portion of said container.

3. In a refrigerator having a refrigerant chamber near the roof and adjacent one of the walls, a vertically disposed flue associated with said wall and a-rack spaced above the oor for supporting a lading, said rack being foraminous to provide for the distribution to the lading of refrigerated air which is conducted by said flue from the refrigerant chamber to the space under said rack, a secondary system for circulation of refrigerated air disposed entirely within said wall exterior of said flue, said system comprising a duct for downward flow of refrigerated air, a return air passage communicating with said duct at the top and bottom thereof, and means to refrigerate the air entering said duct.

4. In a refrigerator having a wall comprising sheathing, lining and insulation disposed therebetween, refrigerating means below the roof and adjacent said wall, and means to dry said insulation, said last mentioned means comprising a passage adjacent said` insulation arranged to conduct warm air upwardly to adjacent said refrigerating means, means to dispose of the condensed moisture, and a duct to conduct air from said refrigerating means to the lower part of said Warm air passage.

5. In a refrigerator car having a wall, a plate associated with said wall and formed with oppositely projecting corrugations extending between the `upper and lower parts of said Wall, relatively rigid members on both sides of said plate to form ducts on one side and passages on the opposite side of the plate, means providing communication between said ducts and said passages at the upper and lower ends thereof, and means to cool the air entering the upper ends of said ducts.

6. In a refrigerator car having a roof and a wall, refrigerating means below said roof and adjacent said wall, a flue associated with said wall adjacent the interior side of said wall and arranged to deliver cooled air from said means into the lower part of the interior of said car, a duct associated with said wall adjacent said ilue and arranged to conduct cooled air from said means to the lower part of said wall, and a return air passage interposed between said ilue and the exterior of said wall andarranged to conduct air from the lower end of said duct to said refrigerating means.

'7. In a refrigerator car having a wall, a sheet associated with said wall and formed with oppositely projecting corrugations extending between the upper and lower parts of said wall, means forming flues on one side and ducts on the opposite side of said sheet, means to cool the air entering the upper ends of said ues, said flues arranged to provide for the flow of cooled air from the lower parts thereof into the interior of the car, a return air passage communicating at the upper and lower parts thereof with said ducts, and means to refrigerate the air entering the upper parts of said ducts.

8. In a refrigerator car having a roof and a wall, a refrigerant container below said roof and adjacent said wall, a nue associated with said wall and communicating at the lower part thereof with the interior of the car, means to direct circulating air into contact with the bottom of said container and thence downwardly through said ilue, a circulatory system associated in its entirety with said wall comprising a duct adjacent said flue for downwardly flow of air, a passage communicating at its lower part with said duct for upward return of the air, said passage being interposed between said flue and the exterior of said wall, and means to utilize a side of said container to cool the air entering said duct.

WALLACE E. BAILLIE. 

